A couple hours ago I was on Market Street (San Francisco) near the Ferry Building. A huge anti-war group was in the streets disrupting traffic, and a bunch of cops in vehicles and on foot rushed up to shove them back on the sidewalks. I got into a verbal tirade with several of the demonstrators. Most likely because I was carrying a small U.S. flag! This one gal was very venomous, saying she knew everything because she is a "reporter". Yeh, right. Her video cameraman also spewed garbage. She's starting to slap at my flag, so I started slapping at her face with it. Ooh, that got a crowd forming around us. I'm getting no where with them, they're at the point of calling me a baby-killer and saying that flag is what's wrong with the country. Pure idiots, these people, after 15 minutes of this I called them what they are, the scum of the Earth and a few other choice words. Another fellow interceded, ratcheting down the volume and led me away, saying he agreed with me. Thanked him, 'cause it was looking dicey for me.
I got on the underground streetcar, and got into a debate with another protester decked out with protest slogans. But this one offered a mannerly conversation sprinkled with logic. We shook hands as we parted. Some protesters are anarchists and some are sane.